The stages of their love
by hannipeach
Summary: Abigail had never been one to believe in true love or soulmates. She was proven wrong after she met Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham.
**Hey, this is me again! Now in another fandom hehe. The thing is —** **I'm in love with Hannibal. And of course, Hannigram. I have other ideas for it too.**
 **This is also posted in portuguese on Social Spirit. I attend there by the name Haruhine-chan.**  
 **Hope you like! Reviews are appreciated.**  
 **I**

Abigail had never been one to believe in true love or soulmates. You are born, raised, you become an adult and find someone compatible to reproduce. She believed in the practical and biological side of things, her criptcism about love only confirmed when her insane father killed her mother without hesitating.

However, when these two strange men showed so much concern about her, adopted a girl they barely knew, she started questioning her beliefs. And the longer she spent with them the more she found proofs that the world wasn't as practical and instinctual as she had originally thought.

-xXx-

Her surrogate fathers liked provoking each other. Sometimes the jabs and silly discussions were so intense that she often wondered if they were being serious. Today was one of those days in which they were in the teasing mood, and they didn't even wait for them to finish breakfast before they started poking.

"I still can't believe you are so picky about eating that you wake up _every day_ and prepare a breakfast as if you were serving a king. Do you even know what a sandwich is?"

"I merely am very careful about what I choose to put into my body." Hannibal seemed unfazed by the tease, picking up another piece of human sausage — those were really good — with all the elegance in the world. "And I am perfectly aware of the existence of sandwiches."

"' _I merely am careful about what I choose to put into my body,_ '" quoted Will with a scoff. "Who uses 'merely' and 'perfectly aware' in the same line? That's so gay."

"You never seemed bothered by my sexuality before, my dear Will." Hannibal smirked, and Abigail knew something was coming. "In fact, I thought you approved of my 'very male, sexy body' as you so vehemently stated last night."

Abigail had to make a huge effort to not spit her juice to laugh out loud at the shocked and embarassed look of Will's.

"Fuck off, bastard." She and Hannibal exchanged amused looks as Will appealed to cursing and pouting for the rest of the meal. But when Hannibal took the dishes and kissed the top of his head before going to the kitchen, a blush and a shy, contented smile spread across Will's face, and Abigail knew that Hannibal had been forgiven.

-xXx-

By now, Abigail was used to the facts that a. Hannibal and Will would often argue about the most irrelevant things and b. they were very possessive about each other. But never before had she seen such a serious fight between them as the one they were having right now.

"I can't believe you did this! I am not your pet for you to keep at home, Hannibal! I can spend time with whomever I want!"

"Not if they don't know their place and want to steal you from me!"

"Don't be ridiculous! It was a lunch between friends, Hannibal. Alana and I were having _lunch_ as _coworkers_ , she wasn't trying to 'steal me from you!'"

Abigail thought that Hannibal's kitchen wasn't the best place to discuss the relationship. Worriedly taking in the many sharp objects present in the room, she tried to discreetly hide the knives that were on the counter.

"She has an infatuation with you and you know it! Even after she rejected you she keeps trying to have what's not hers!"

"Oh, right, so I can't spend time with a friend that I've known for _much longer_ than you but you can go to all that stupid theaters and operas, talk to those "ladies" that droll over you and unabashedly throw themselves at your feet and I don't have one word on the matter!"

"What are you talking about?! I barely know them and I just talk to them because it's the polite thing to do!"

"Are you aware of what you are saying? I'm tired of your hypocrisy! That's rude, Hannibal, shockingly rude!"

Abigail was seriously worried about the outcome of this quarrel.

She knew that they were really possessive, but for them to fight so heatedly over a thing such as this — it would have been funny if they were not so serious.

"You know what? I'm leaving!" Will turned back but was held by Hannibal's hand on his arm, his grip tight enough to bruise.

"We aren't done here!" Hannibal hissed, but a strong slap across his face made him let go in his atonishment.

"Get off of me!" And with that Will stormed out of the room and the house, leaving behind a shocked Hannibal with a reddening cheek.

When he made mention to follow his lover, Abigail blocked the way albeit wisely keeping some distance.

"Give you both some time," she said. "You are angry and need time to cool off."

At this Hannibal seemed to deflate, his shoulders slumping and his expression assuming one akin to that of a rejected puppy. He turned to the sink and started washing the plates of their lunch. Abigail leaned against the counter and tried to find the gentlest way to say what she thought.

"Is... Is it such a bad thing that I'm afraid of losing him, Abigail?"

The question was made in such a forlorn tone that she was stunned into silence for a while. To see Hannibal Lecter amused? Routine. To see him smiling sadisticaly as he opened his victims up alive? Predictible. But a pouting Hannibal Lecter, hurt and rejected, was not something she thought she would live enough to see. It was cute and endearing, and she concluded Will was lucky to have such a caring partner.

"No, it's not. It's completely understandable, even more so given your past. Your possessiveness is your way to try to keep him with you."

"So why can't he _see_ it? I would think his empathy would make him comprehend." Abigail wondered if Hannibal, a reputed psychiatrist, was aware that he was asking advice of a teeneger. He must be really desperate.

"He does, Hannibal. But you must also understand that he has a point, and I think that in this situation he is right. And don't look at me like that. It was just a lunch. They might have liked each other once, but it is not the case anymore. They're just friends and you know it."

"...I know Will doesn't like her like that. It's Alana I'm worried about."

"Well, now you are being hypocritical." There was no gentle way to say that. "If that is the case, Will is right in being angry when you go to your classy social gatherings you are so fond of. There are many men and women there that admire you quite a bit and would love to get in your pants. Will is as much afraid of losing wou as you are of losing him. And while you had someone you've loved and lost, your sister," she ignored Hannibal's flinch at the mention of the girl, "Will never had anyone in the first place. He spent his whole life by himself and now that he's finally got someone who loves and accepts him he is really scared to let go. You don't have to be a genius to know that."

The dishes were forgotten. Hannibal dried his hands and forced a smile, it looking even more constricted than normal.

"I suppose I am not good with serious relationships."

"You are just beginning. You two are all too new to all of this, it's natural you are going to trip a little along the path."

"I just don't want to lose him."

"You won't. Remember, he doesn't want to lose you either."

That night, when Hannibal retired to sulk in his room, Abigail picked up her cell phone and sent Will a text:

" _I'm not your therapist. Bring your ass back here and kiss Hannibal's pout outta his face."_

The next day, when she descended the stairs in search for some coffee, she was greeted with a sight that warmed her insides and brought a smile to her lips.

Hannibal and Will were back in the kitchen, but instead of arguing they were hugging each other tightly. Hannibal's head was nestled in the crook of Will's neck, and he was frowning and murmuring almost incoherent I'm sorry's and I love you's.

Will was smiling, his eyes closed, and he was caressing his lover's head, cradling him. They were so immersed in their own world that they didn't even acknowledge her as they kissed, chaste and loving, the warmth almost palpable.

Unnoticed, Abigail sneaked out of the kitchen and went back to her room, squealing and bouncing in place at the extreme cuteness of her surrogate fathers.

-xXx-

Abigail had just realized she had developed a sadistic personality, and she wasn't sure if Hannibal was completely to blame. She couldn't help, however, but to be terribly amused at watching Hannibal's disgust and Will's discomfort as they stood to the side in the night club, probably wondering how they had gotten themselves into this situation.

Abigail may or may not have pulled some strings.

She had received awesome news from Alana — they had become quite fond of each other, — and her Lecter side had instantly created a plan that would make Hannibal proud, had he not been one of her pawns.

The thing was — Alana had surprisingly gotten herself a girlfriend. Besides putting an end to most of Hannibal's and Will's petty fights, the girl, Margot, seemed nice enough from what she had heard from Alana — which was a lot.

She also had wanted for a while to have some fun. And since she didn't have any friends her age anymore, it would be nice to go with her fathers and Alana. The fact that it would be really funny to see Hannibal in a "plebeian" environment and Will surrounded by people only added to the appeal. Some pleading and puppy eyes had done the trick, and they all agreed to meet in a sophisticated night club, but still not enough for Hannibal. Pleasantries had been exchanged and Alana's girlfriend was nice and energetic, but now they were in the corner watching people dance.

Abigail had her eye on a cute boy at the bar that kept sending her some looks, but she wanted to make something about Hannibal and Will before going to talk to him. It was unnecessary, though, for Will came to shout in her ear — the music was loud.

"Go talk to him, have some fun. I can see he's a good boy."

Unsurprised at Will's skill at observation, she just said: "I don't want to leave you here. You were supposed to have fun too."

"Don't worry about that. I'll try to convince Hannibal to dance." He winked at her, and she snorted before heading to the object of her interest.

Even being plain, Abigail knew that she was attractive, and the dress she had chosen for the occasion added to her subtle appeal. So she was confident as she discovered that the boy's name was Andrew, that he was in the first year of college and that he was really nice — perhaps Hannibal wouldn't try to serve his organs in a dish with a difficult name, after all.

When Lollipop Luxury started play and everyone's moves became more lewd and suggestive, she and Andrew — come on, call me Andy! — headed to the dance floor. Abigail smirked when she imagined Hannibal's face as he listened to the obscene lyrics and looked around searching for them — only to feel her jaw drop at the sight before her.

Oh, that was sexy. And she was so going to hell.

 _Will Graham,_ the socially awkward hermit and _Hannibal Lecter,_ the epitome of I-am-better-than-you-mere-humans were moving against each other in a way that was able to be more lewd than the music. They were both only in button-down shirts, but even the fewer clothing than normal didn't seem to be few enough. They were rocking and pushing and pressing and they _exhaled_ lust. It was present in the way Hannibal leaned in to do things to Will's neck and in the way Will's eyes were closed and his mouth opened in a silent moan and in the way Hannibal's hips were closer to Will's backside than strictly necessary — Abigail was feeling deliciously impure as she moved her own body against Andy's.

It was well into the morning when they finally went home — Abigail with a new contact on her phone, — and then she thought about what she had witnessed that night. Demonstrating their desire for each other wasn't unusual, but Abigail had never seen them dance. And wasn't it a sight.

And by the way heated looks were being exchanged in the front seats and the speed at which they were going, she could tell that lollipops would be sucked in no time.

Oh, the puns.

-xXx-

Abigail knew that Hannibal wasn't omniscient, but it was just so strange to see him learning something new.

She couldn't believe that he had never gone fishing.

"You hold the line like this and throw the lure. No, not like that, like _this_."

She sat under a tree, close to the food they had brought with them. Will and Hannibal were standing in the middle of the stream, with water up their calves. Will was trying to teach Hannibal to fish, but he just didn't seem to grasp the method.

It was quite amusing and she and Will were smiling, while Hannibal was very close to pouting. Will was so happy that they were doing this, the grin on his face was unwavering and he kept kissing Hannibal's cheek or shoulder. Hannibal just couldn't sulk when Will was being so lovely.

Abigail had been talking with Andrew for a while, and he had sent her a message. They started talking again and Abigail forgot about the world, concentrating in the boy she had started to like. She didn't know for how long they talked, but she snapped back to reality when she heard the commotion coming from the stream.

Hannibal had caught a fish.

He was quickly pulling the line, and Will was dangerously close to bouncing in place. The fish seemed to be big, or Hannibal didn't have enough experience, for he was struggling to bring it close.

She must have seen it coming, since she wasn't surprised when Hannibal slipped on the muddy stones and fell into the water, taking Will with him. It wasn't surprising, but it was hilarious.

As she laughed her lungs out, Hannibal managed to grab the fish — a big, colorful one which name she didn't know, — and the grin on Will's face could split it in two. He kissed his lover happily, eagerly, wrapping his arms around Hannibal's soaked shoulders.

In that moment Abigail knew that they were back in their own little world. The forgotten fish managed to escape and they were now kissing and hugging and there was that look in their eyes that said so many things. She smiled and got up for a walk, giving her fathers some privacy so that they could enjoy themselves and take things further if they wanted without worrying.

-xXx-

Abigail had always loved the sound of the piano. She had wanted to learn to play it her whole life, but never had an opportunity come up. Instead she watched videos and downloaded her favorite songs.

Hence her happiness when she discovered her new father played as no one else could. It was inhuman, his ability, and everytime she heard the delicate sounds she would sit on the couch and close her eyes, enjoying the artful sequence of notes, imagining she was pressing the keys.

Today was no different. A slow version of the melody that she recognized as Canon in D had begun and she headed to the room where the piano was located. Just that this time, Hannibal wasn't the one on the seat.

Well, he was, but Will was who was playing, his fingers hesitantly bringing life to the tune. Hannibal was smiling, looking as if he would burst in pride at any moment.

"I didn't know you played." She said as a greeting, taking her usual place on the sofa.

"I didn't," Will smiled, not lifting his eyes from the keys. "Hannibal is teaching me."

"And you are getting better all the time," Hannibal cooed. He nuzzled Will's neck, making him gasp and falter in his rhythm.

"Not that good," he joked. Hannibal merely started playing the first notes of another tune, Will soon following him. They kept like that, silent, enjoying the music, and Abigail closed her eyes, falling into unconsciousness.

Asleep, she didn't listen to the following tune, one only Hannibal played. She didn't hear Hannibal saying that he had composed that one while thinking of Will. She didn't see Will's face light up in a grin, nor the sweet kisses they shared. And she didn't hear the soft, barely there confessions of love and eternity. She didn't see Hannibal kneel and pull a small box from his pocket. She didn't hear the question nor the "yes" that Will muttered between tears. And the smiles on their faces as they slipped the rings onto each other's fingers were for only them to see anyway.

-xXx-

"You don't want to go in there now." Abigail warned Jack Crawford and his team as they ran into Hannibal's waiting room. Beverly and Alana were with him and they smiled at Abigail, but Jack looked as serious and grumpy as ever. "Hannibal is... Busy."

"It is important," he barked, stomping towards the consultory.

"Listen to me. You _really_ don't want to go in there."

Had Jack not been so focused in whatever he had gone there for, he would have noticed the suspicious noises coming from the closed door. Alana and Beverly, being calmer, seemed to understand the situation and smirked to each other.

"I absolutely need to talk to him. It's about the Ripper."

"Go on then. Don't say I didn't warn you. "Abigail leaned back on the sofa on which she had been reading, and smirked. This was going to be interesting.

Still unaware of all the clues — really, how was this guy even in the FBI, — Jack nearly kicked the door open, already demanding answers about something, until he took in the scene he had just intruded upon.

"Told you so," the girls were laughing their lungs out. The expressions on Jack's and the couple's faces were too precious.

"Really, guys?" Beverly managed out between choking sounds. "Can't even the consultory pass untainted?"

"Do your patients know what goes on here between schedules?" Alana was fanning herself, wiping tears of mirth off of her eyes.

At least Hannibal and Will had the decency to blush.

-xXx-

Abigail stepped into the living room, her arms full with blankets. On the floor there was already a mattress with some pillows.

It was winter and she and her new boyfriend — Andy had proven worth it, in the end — had decided to spend the afternoon watching movies. He was already there, with a pile of snacks and some hot cocoa. Abigail sat next to him, wrapping the blankets around them.

"Where are your parents?" Andrew asked as she laid her head on his shoulder, sneaking an arm around her waist to pull her closer.

"They're out together. I think they went to some park to play with snow."

Just as she said that the front door opened and Will and Hannibal came in, cheeks flushed from the cold. They were wet and shaking, but there was a smile on their faces as they regarded Abigail and Andrew.

"Hello there," Will greeted him, followed by Hannibal's "what a pleasant surprise."

Abigail was thankful for her fathers's acceptance of Andy. After a first dinner and some not-so-classical fatherly threats such as "hurt her and we'll have your guts for the main course," they had gotten along pretty well.

"Join us," she offered. There was a sofa behind the mattress that could easily fit three people.

"We'll take a shower first to warm up, then we'll come," promised Hannibal with a glint in his eyes that told her that a shower wouldn't be the only thing happening upstairs. There was probably an intern joke in that phrase. The deepening on Will's blush confirmed her suspicions.

"They are really into each other, aren't they?" Andrew commented after they heard a door closing.

"You should've seen it the week after Hannibal proposed," Abigail laughed. "I was afraid to leave my bedroom and had to knock even to enter the kitchen."

Andy choked on his cup, laughing as he said "Thank God I didn't see it, then."

They were on a heated discussion about which movie they would watch first when Will and Hannibal came back, each dressed in their own version of casual clothing — Hannibal could be a normal person going to a fancy restaurant with his casual clothes, but he was Hannibal. They settled on the sofa and Abigail handed them a blanket, smiling triumphantly as she won the argument.

It was a nice movie, with action and romance in the right doses, but soon it was just background sound to their cuddling. She and Andrew had at some point laid down on the mattress, and he soon fell asleep. She discreetly looked back at her fathers only to smile again at their cuteness.

Hannibal was on top of Will, resting his head on Will's chest. They were nestled among the blanket and the pillows, looking cozy and comfortable. Sleepy eyes stared at each other, and the fondness in their looks was also present in they entwined fingers, in the small smiles, in the caresses, in the soft kisses. No words were necessary.

Abigail turned back to the television, pressing her hands to her flushed cheeks and trying very hard not to squeal.

-xXx-

Abigail's cheeks were hurting. She couldn't remember the last time she had smiled so much on a single day. Everything was so beautiful and she was so happy, and the day wasn't even for her.

But she could see that Hannibal and Will were even happier than her.

They were dancing together again, but this time the song wasn't obscene nor were the movements lustful. It was the piano piece Hannibal had composed for Will and they were hugging more than dancing, swinging slightly from side to side. Their eyes were closed and there were smiles on their lips.

The few people they had invited were gazing at the couple in awe. Everybody had known they would come to this eventually, but still it was stunning to see Hannibal and Will so deeply in love with each other.

It was poetic, Abigail thought. They were both broken men, missing a part they thought they would never find. There seemed to be no place for them in the world. And yet they had found that very thing, a home, the missing piece. They had built themselves back together, uniting the shards, and now were they to separate they would just break again.

Not that they would separate. Never. The silver rings on their fingers were just one more proof of that.

The cerimony had been simple. They signed some papers, exchanged compromise words and a kiss. There was no need to make it scandalous. They knew what they felt and that was enough.

Abigail wanted them to have a party and a honeymoon, however, cause tradition was nice. So she had organized a small gathering in a beautiful field. They just invited some friends and coworkers, but it was still beautiful. She was so happy.

The music ended and another one, more agitated, began. Now everybody got up to dance too, and then everything became a blur.

She danced with Andrew until her feet hurt. The cake was cut and served, and she kept trying to find a sign that would give away the rude florist that was the main ingredient. All those common things that happen in weddings happened, and she was amused at the normalcy of it. Nothing in their family was normal.

A few or many drinks later she was giggling with Andy about Hannibal's and Will's honeymoon.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Will came back pregnant. They will release their rabbit side on this trip." She choked. Andy was breathless in front of her.

"Not so probable, but that doesn't mean they won't try."

"Wait, is Will always the bottom? Aaaawkward." Beverly joined in the laughter.

"Does Hannibal look like a bottom to you?" Abigail smirked. "Although I don't know if he indulges Will sometimes."

"We could ask them. Hey, Hannibal! Do you ever bottom?" Beverly shouted at the couple across the field, that still hadn't stopped dancing.

Hannibal shot her an odd look and murmured something in Will's ear that made him blush. They came closer and Will took Abigail's drink from her hands, ignoring her protests.

"Will, are you always the bottom? That you usually are is obvious, but always?" Beverly asked. It seemed everybody had had too much to drink.

"Not always," Hannibal smirked. Will's cheeks were inhumanly red by then.

"Go to hell, you all." He pouted and left, Hannibal following him and smiling lovingly.

When the time came for the grooms to make their leave and head to the airport, Abigail hugged them tightly.

"Congratulations. I'm really happy for you." And even after all of Will's worried recomendations — his girl was going to be all alone, after all, nevermind the fact that she was an adult, — she was still smiling. They were going to have a lovely honeymoon.

"Right," she said when they were gone. "We are all drunk. How are we getting home?"

-xXx-

Abigail knew that there was something dark in her. Behind her smiles, deep down, there was the memory of enjoying killing Nicholas Boyle. She knew there was a monster within her and perhaps it would someday come out. But it was that darkness that made her fit in the Lecter family.

Darkness, she thought, was beautiful.

The Lecters were beautiful.

She watched as Hannibal and Will moved in synchrony, completing each other, two parts of one major, dangerous being. The man under them, their _prey_ , was whimpering and pleading pitifully as they tore him apart bit by bit.

They were covered in blood. There was an aura around them, one of power and danger, and a certainty in their moves that spoke of experience and talent.

If Abigail had skill for painting, the image in front of her would be her masterpiece.

The man, the _pig_ , was dead. Hannibal cupped Will's face, smearing blood over his skin, and kissed him slowly, reverently. And Abigail could have wept at how utterly true was the love she was witnessing.

They knew each other so throughly. They recognized, accepted and bathed in each other's darkness instead of recoiling from it. They were two halves that fit perfectly. Pieces that completed each other.

In that moment, in a future crime scene, in front of two murderers, two monsters, Abigail was seeing the most beautiful thing that could ever exist.

-xXx-

Abigail had never been one to believe in true love or soulmates. She believed in the practical and biological side of things. She was proven wrong after she met Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham.

True love did exist. It was so rare and hard to find that most thought it was only a reality under a writer's hand or in lovesick illusions. But they were wrong.

Her fathers had been blessed with true love. It was demonstrated and declared in so many ways it was impossible to deny.

-xXx-

Their love shall remain strong for eternity. Never will mankind know of greater union. It is more than mind, body or heart. It is soul deep. And they shall be together, in countless other lives, until the Sun sets for the last time and the world ends in eternal darkness. And in darkness they will be utterly free, two shadows united in such a way one will never know where one ends and the other begins.

 _The end._

 **Before I go, I'd like to say three things.**  
 **First, if you want to know what is Hanni's piece for Will, see on Youtube: watch?v=GSGeNheVlSk**  
 **Second, I may or may not write a smutty version of the night club scene, on Will's and Hannibal's POV. Tell me if you'd like that.**  
 **Third, I've been looking for a beta. I would rather if English was this person's native language, for it's not mine and I would like to know if I'm making mistakes. If you are interested, contact me! :D**  
 **Thanks for reading!**


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